Author

Lindsey DiMattina

News Editor Lindsey DiMattina started her career writing for a series of interior design magazines in South Florida, but moved to NYC on a whim. She dabbled in fashion PR, then took a job doing celebrity reporting. For three years, she broke news about Kim Kardashian, Mariah Carey, Snooki, Bachelor/Bachelorette winners, Teen Moms, and many more. In her spare time, you can find her rocking out to Sugarland or Lil Jon and walking her dog Bene Hendrix (named after the Jimi Hendrix). She never misses an episode of “The Borgias,” “Boardwalk Empire,” or “Game of Thrones."

It's hard to accurately portray the life of another person, but in 2011, Meryl Streep won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in the biographical drama The Iron Lady. While Streep's talents earned her plenty of recoginition, her acting in the movie also helped the world to learn more about the real "Iron Lady" who lead the United Kingdom for 11 years. Thatcher was the first woman to be elected as the U.K.'s Prime Minster and has also served the longest term in the position's history. Upon the news of Thatcher's passing Monday, Streep pays tribute to the great political figure.
"Margaret Thatcher was a pioneer, willingly or unwillingly, for the role of women in politics," Streep says in a statement to Hollywood.com. "It is hard to imagine a part of our current history that has not been affected by measures she put forward in the U.K. at the end of the 20th century. Her hard-nosed fiscal measures took a toll on the poor, and her hands-off approach to financial regulation led to great wealth for others. There is an argument that her steadfast, almost emotional loyalty to the pound sterling has helped the U.K. weather the storms of European monetary uncertainty."
RELATED: Margaret Thatcher, Former British Prime Minister, Dies
Streep continues: "But to me she was a figure of awe for her personal strength and grit. To have come up, legitimately, through the ranks of the British political system, class bound and gender phobic as it was, in the time that she did and the way that she did, was a formidable achievement. To have won it, not because she inherited position as the daughter of a great man, or the widow of an important man, but by dint of her own striving. To have withstood the special hatred and ridicule, unprecedented in my opinion, leveled in our time at a public figure who was not a mass murderer; and to have managed to keep her convictions attached to fervent ideals and ideas — wrongheaded or misguided as we might see them now-without corruption — I see that as evidence of some kind of greatness, worthy for the argument of history to settle. To have given women and girls around the world reason to supplant fantasies of being princesses with a different dream: the real-life option of leading their nation; this was groundbreaking and admirable."
"I was honored to try to imagine her late life journey, after power; but I have only a glancing understanding of what her many struggles were, and how she managed to sail through to the other side," Streep adds. "I wish to convey my respectful condolences to her family and many friends."
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
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Monday morning marked tragedy, as the world was forced to say goodbye to one of its most influential political figures. Margaret Thatcher, who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, passed away on Monday after suffering a stroke, the UK's Telegraph reports. She was 87 years old.
Thatcher's son Sir Mark and daughter Carol confirmed their mother's passing. "It is with great sadness that Mark and Carol Thatcher announced that their mother Baroness Thatcher died peacefully following a stroke this morning," Thatcher's spokesperson Lord Bell said in a statement. "A further statement will be made later."
Thatcher, who was famously known as the "Iron Lady" for her uncompromising politcal leadership style, will go down in history as Britain's longest serving prime minister and the only woman to ever hold the title. The "Iron Lady" was originally a chemist before becoming a barrister. She then broke into politics in 1959 when she was elected to Parliament. In 1970, she was appointed the Secretary of State for Education and Science. In 1979, she became Prime Minster and held the title for 11 years.
RELATED: Streep Makes Thatcher a Rock Star in 'The Iron Lady'
In 2011, a biographical movie titled The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep, was released, capturing the story of Thatcher's life and work. In the film, we not only got a close look at Thatcher's personal affairs, but also at her political platforms, both economic and social.
Thatcher's life has left a mark on the world. Her belief system not only implemented change in the UK, but also echoed across the oceans to many other countries. She was a great leader, and one the world will never forget.
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
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Forget Halle Berry's character Storm in X-Men: Days of the Future — the actress is exhibiting some real-life superpowers... in the fertility department. Berry, who is 46, is expecting her second child (her first with fiancé Olivier Martinez), Berry's rep confirms to Hollywood.com.
Berry told People last fall that she has been praying for another child, as her daughter Nahla (5) has been asking for a sibling. "Every night, we do our prayers, she says, ‘God, please bring me a bunk bed and a baby sister,'" Berry said. "And I say, 'I can do one of those things, I know for sure. The other one, we’ve got to keep praying on.'"
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Berry and Martinez, 47, got engaged in January 2012 and have yet to walk down the aisle. Could be now they'll have another adorable ring bearer present at their ceremony.
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
[Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner/AP Images]
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Easter eggs, April Fools', and a new late night battle — what more could a pop culture enthusiast hope for? NBC announced that Jimmy Fallon would be replacing Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show in 2014 as Jay-Z decided to push even further into the sports industry (while a real sports hero took the nastiest of falls). And in the middle of all of this, North Korea started moving some of its missiles. Needless to say, there was plenty to make the Twitter comedians explode during the week of March 31.
RELATED: Funniest Pop Culture Tweets from Last Week
See what funny comments they had to say this week on Twitter.
10 Funniest Pop Culture Tweets of the Week:
1. Julie Segal: "North Korea is taking this Leno leaving the Tonight Show thing way too hard."
North Korea is taking this Leno leaving the Tonight Show thing way too hard.
— Julia Segal (@juliasegal) April 4, 2013
2. Stephen Colbert: "Jay-Z is trying his hand at being a sports agent. He's got 99 problems, but negotiating a great back-end deal w/Gatorade ain't one."
Jay-Z is trying his hand at being a sports agent. He's got 99 problems, but negotiating a great back-end deal w/Gatorade ain't one.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) April 3, 2013
3. Jimmy Kimmel: "congratulations to my dear, sweet @jimmyfallon - a formidable rival and an incredible lover"
congratulations to my dear, sweet @jimmyfallon - a formidable rival and an incredible lover
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 3, 2013
4. Damien Fahey: "I feel like if we give North Korea Pizza Tracker technology we could get them on our side."
I feel like if we give North Korea Pizza Tracker technology we could get them on our side.
— Damien Fahey (@DamienFahey) April 3, 2013
5. Sam Grittner: "Taylor Swift already wrote a hit song about Kevin Ware's leg."
Taylor Swift already wrote a hit song about Kevin Ware's leg.
— Sam Grittner (@SamGrittner) April 3, 2013
6. Eugene Mirman: "I bet Rick Ross would think it was pretty funny if tonight a few guys pull molly in his drink &amp; made love to him while he peacefully slept."
I bet Rick Ross would think it was pretty funny if tonight a few guys pull molly in his drink &amp; made love to him while he peacefully slept.
— Eugene Mirman (@EugeneMirman) April 4, 2013
7. Neal Brennan: "I'm glad Germany took away Bieber's monkey. That kid ain't sold enough records to have a monkey. #MJ"
I'm glad Germany took away Bieber's monkey. That kid ain't sold enough records to have a monkey. #MJ
— Neal Brennan (@nealbrennan) April 3, 2013
8. Josh Gondelman: "April Fool's Day was cancelled. APRIL FOOL! It still exists and sucks!"
April Fool's Day was cancelled. APRIL FOOL! It still exists and sucks!
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) April 1, 2013
9. Michael Ian Black: "A good April Fools prank would be for doctors to tell all their patients it's cancer."
A good April Fools prank would be for doctors to tell all their patients it's cancer.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) April 1, 2013
10. Joan Rivers: "Passover and Easter are overlapping this weekend, so I've decided to dye my matzo balls."
Passover and Easter are overlapping this weekend, so I've decided to dye my matzo balls.
— Joan Rivers (@Joan_Rivers) March 29, 2013
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
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A shot of a gun pointed at a harmless little kitten. A dismembered head lying by itself in the middle of a road. A look at teenagers beating themselves with chains in the name of God. These are just a few of the shocking moments seen in HBO’s new documentary series VICE — a program that tackles the kind of stories that mainstream media overlooks or is afraid to approach.
In Episode 1, host Shane Smith and correspondent Ryan Duffy take the viewers on two completely different journeys. In the first story, Duffy explores the ins and outs of the election process in the Philippines, and uses satire to compare the election season to hunting season. In Part 2, Smith embarks upon a more emotional venture to share the stories of children suicide bombers who work for the Taliban.
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The show begins with Duffy’s story, “Assassination Nation.” The cameras follow him as he meets with the country’s governor, who is about to begin another campaign. Remembering the 100 plus people that were killed during election season in 2010, Duffy ignores the country’s political tensions and dives right into the deepest and darkest waters of the story. He and his team do a great job at exploring both sides of the issue; there’s no denying that they have incredible access. In one scene, Duffy literally sits in the backseat with the governor during a military convoy. In the next, the rebel militia general is taking him on a tour his secret camp.
While most reporters would be scared s***less to be put in these situations, Duffy does it with a smile, and even interjects his sense of humor throughout. In one shot, the camera focuses on an innocent kitten that has a gun pointed at it — perhaps meant to represent in inevitability of assassination attempts on the governor's life, no matter how much security he has, or touching on the illegal manufacture of guns by the rebels.
The show’s ironic tone continues to develop as Duffy again joins the convoy of the governor. All of sudden, the trip is halted when hundreds of men start getting out of their cars with guns to protect the governor. While we are at first led to believe that the rebels are about to attack, it turns out that the governor just has to use the bathroom.
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While Duffy's story is riddled with humor like this, Smith's takes a different form of narration. There are no slight jabs in this half. It’s just a serious and emotional story about the poor Afghan children who the Taliban brainwash to act as suicide bombers. While Smith takes us through the story by interviewing children who made failed attempts at bombings, and chatting with high ranking officials who condone these death missions, the cameras add images of extremely distrubing scenes to drive his points home. Shock value at its highest takes form when the camera captures shots of a severed head lying in the middle of the road and teenage martyrs beating themselves with chains. One scene even displays piles of bodies after one such bombing occurs — and the segment even opens up with footage of 9/11.
Yes, these scenes are graphic, but they serve their purpose. Viewers are called to understand the emotional warfare waged on these children and used to turn them into killers. And in the end, you are left viewing the kids not as heartless murderers, but as innocent children who are unable to control the fact that they are getting brainwashed by mad men.
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This show may dare to push the odds of what’s acceptable in front of the news camera, but you couldn’t expect anything else from an HBO news series produced by Bill Maher.
VICE premieres Friday night at 11 PM on HBO. Tune in.
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[Photo Credit: HBO]
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It sounds like the atmosphere is pretty invasive on the set of Saturday Night Live — at least when it comes to costume changes. Melissa McCarthy visited Jimmy Fallon Thursday night and shared details of the traumatic experience of a 40-second costume change on the set of SNL, when she hosted the show for the first time back in 2011.
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McCarthy described that during the quick change, hands came from every direction and ripped the clothes off of her body. And now that she's getting ready to host SNL again on April 6, she is a bit worried who might have seen her in her underwear the last time around. After all, it is SNL, and jokes are the name of the game.
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[Photo Credit: Lloyd Bishop/NBC]
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Thursday was a sad day in Hollywood and the world over as we had to say goodbye to highly revered film critic Roger Ebert. Ebert, who had been battling thyroid cancer since 2002, stepped down from his duties at the Chicago Sun-Times just yesterday. Given the statement he made on Wednesday that he would continue reviewing movies of his choice, it was shocking to learn that cancer took Ebert's life so soon.
RELATED: Roger Ebert Dies At 70
In the wake of Ebert's death, Hollywood is taking to Twitter to remember the amazing man who was the first film critic ever to win the Pulitzer Prize. See what the stars are saying about Ebert's death below.
Roger, I hope you're in an infinite movie palace, watching every film the great directors only dreamed of making. RIP, @ebertchicago
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 4, 2013
Roger Ebert R.I.P. See you at the movies.
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) April 4, 2013
I started watching/reading @ebertchicago in 1984. He was a good man &amp; a fierce advocate for great film. #RIPEbert
— RainnWilson (@rainnwilson) April 4, 2013
Roger Ebert. Millions of thumbs up for you. RIP
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) April 4, 2013
Film critic Roger Ebert dies at 70 after battle with cancer - @suntimes bit.ly/13V3yIt via @breakingnews SO FAST! Praying 4 his fam
— Carson Daly (@CarsonDaly) April 4, 2013
Sad news today, Roger Ebert has passed away. bit.ly/10feETU #breaking #brking
— maria menounos (@mariamenounos) April 4, 2013
Hail hail, a moral genius of great depth and understanding has passed from this realm.
— Roseanne Barr (@TheRealRoseanne) April 4, 2013
RIP Roger Ebert
— David Katzenberg (@DavidKatzenberg) April 4, 2013
So sad to read passing of Roger Ebert. He will forever bewatching movies with Gene Siskel. Thumbs up to him!
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) April 4, 2013
Reading Roger Ebert's reviews as a kid was instrumental in determining what I did w my life. He will be sorely missed.
— Justin Long (@justinlong) April 4, 2013
Roger Ebert was an excellent writer, a gifted artist, and as nice a guy as you'll ever meet.Sad he's gone.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 4, 2013
Thanks Mr. Ebert.
— Steve Carell (@SteveCarell) April 4, 2013
Dear Roger- you were a true friend to my me and my family. Thank you. Your voice will never be silenced. #rogerebert
— virginia madsen (@madlyv) April 4, 2013
we lost a thoughtful writer, i remember my first review from him, pi (i got his and siskel's thumbs) it was a career highlight. #rogerebert
— darren aronofsky (@DarrenAronofsky) April 4, 2013
Shocked and truly, deeply saddened at the loss of the great Roger Ebert. A legend. His voice will be missed.
— Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) April 4, 2013
RIP and goodbye Roger Ebert. You sent me such nice emails over the years. I loved your twitter feed, enjoyed your reviews. Thank you.
— Neil Gaiman (@neilhimself) April 4, 2013
My thoughts &amp; prayers go out to my friends &amp; colleague Roger Ebert &amp; his phenomenal wife Chaz. Love and strength to you both @ebertchicago
— Leonard Maltin (@leonardmaltin) April 3, 2013
Sad to hear about the passing of Roger Ebert, he was a grand man &amp; in my opinion the dean of American film critics-he will be sorely missed
— Larry King(@kingsthings) April 4, 2013
RIP the inspiring Roger Ebert. One of the greats.
— Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) April 4, 2013
Just heard about the death of Roger Ebert. He was a nice, nice man. I truly liked him - I'm very sad.
— Joan Rivers (@Joan_Rivers) April 4, 2013
I Miss My Dear Friend Roger Ebert.Roger Was One Of The 1st Major Movie Critics To Support My Joints,Especially Malcolm X And DTRT.-R.I.P.
— Spike Lee (@SpikeLee) April 4, 2013
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All good things must come to an end. Well, I may have to rephrase that: All fads that were semi-tolerable at one point in time must come to an end. That's exactly what's happening to Baauer's "Harlem Shake." It seems like people are finally getting over the now-annoying tune, and that opinion is clearly reflected in this week's Billboard.com Hot 100 Chart. Knocked out of the No. 1 spot by Macklemore last week, "Harlem Shake" found itself in No. 2. And now this week, the neary-wordless song dropped another two spots, landing at No. 4.
RELATED: Goodbye "Harlem Shake"
While Baauer's single is on its way out the door, a new twosome — Ariana Grande and Mac Miller — is on their way in. Grande and Miller's single, "The Way," debuted at No. 10 its first week on the charts! Play the duo's video below and you'll understand why it's so hot. If our ears don't decieve us, it sounds like 2013's version of J.Lo and Fat Joe's 1999 song, "Feelin So Good." Gosh, I miss the late '90s!
Check out what other songs made the top 10 this week.
The Top 10 Songs on Billboard.com's Hot 100 Chart:
1. "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Featuring WanzPeak Position: 1Last Week's Position: 1Weeks on Chart: 26
2. "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno MarsPeak Position: 2Last Week's Position: 4Weeks on Chart: 15
3. "Suit &amp; Tie" by Justin TimberlakePeak Position: 3Last Week's Position: 3Weeks on Chart: 12
4. "Harlem Shake" by Baauer Peak Position: 1Last Week's Position: 2Weeks on Chart: 7
5. "Just Give Me A Reason" by P!nk, Featuring Nate RuessPeak Position: 5Last Week's Position: 6Weeks on Chart: 7
6. "Stay" by Rihanna, Featuring Mikky EkkoPeak Position: 3Last Week's Position: 5Weeks on Chart: 8
7. "Radioactive" by Imagine DragonsPeak Position: 7Last Week's Position: 15Weeks on Chart: 31
8. "Started From The Bottom" by DrakePeak Position: 6Last Week's Position: 7Weeks on Chart: 8
9. "Feel This Moment" by Pitbull, Featuring Christina AguileraPeak Position: 8Last Week's Position: 8Weeks on Chart: 10
10. "The Way" by Ariana Grande, Featuring Mac MillerPeak Position: 10Last Week's Position: 0Weeks on Chart: 1
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In 2014, the late night circuit may become a bit confusing, thanks to the 11:35 PM time slot offering two Jimmys to choose from. On Tuesday, it was announced that Jimmy Fallon will be replacing Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show on NBC, meaning that he will be hosting at the same time that Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC. But while we were sure of who would fill Leno's shoes after Tuesday's announcement, Jimmy Kimmel seemed to be a bit confused about the situation.
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"It is a big one for the world of late night television," Kimmel said Wednesday night, during his monologue. "As you probably heard, it was announced officially today that starting in February of next year, after the Olympics, I will take over as new host of The Tonight Show. I spoke to Jay on the phone today… Excuse me for one moment."
Kimmel then spoke with someone on staff at ABC. "Okay, um... apparently it was a different Jimmy," he said. "Are you sure? Hold on." He then read some news off of his phone. "Okay, turns out I will not be hosting The Tonight Show," he said. "Does anyone know what the return policy is on yachts?"
RELATED: Jay Leno Plays Nice About Jimmy Fallon Transition
But Kimmel wasn't the only late night host to joke about the news. Leno was somewhat pleasant about the transition — and Conan O'Brien congratulated Fallon on the exciting move.
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[Photo Credit: ABC]
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Never before has $7.99 per month been a better deal. Sure, when I first started my Netflix subscription a few years ago, I was satisfied to watch old movies whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted, at such a nominal fee. And I could also watch series that had long since disappeared from the television screen. But on February 1, Netflix shook up its basic marketing plan, and the whole television industry for that matter, by releasing its first-ever original series, House of Cards. It wasn’t quite the fact that Netflix came out with its own programming that threw the industry for a loop, it was more so how Netflix decided to relay the new 13-episode series to its subscribers. Instead of the typical week-by-week play, Netflix released all of House of Cards’ episodes at once, leaving viewers to decide how they wanted to watch the series.
"Ultimately, we all arrived at 13 in one day because that seemed in line with what Netflix had to offer viewers that very few networks are able to, which is the liberty to watch things how they want to watch them, when they want to watch them, on what device they want to watch them on," House of Cards head writer and creator Beau Willimon tells Hollywood.com exclusively.
But when Willimon and his team first started dreaming up how they would produce House of Cards, they didn’t necessarily plan to release the show in this manner. "When I started working on the script with my writers, we hadn’t made a decision as to how we were going to deliver it," he says. "Certainly, 13 all at once was one of several options, so I guess I really thought about the story as something that should be able to work both in a long format and something that could be watched all at once."
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Netflix decided to go with the all-at-once model, and the show was an instant success that got its subscribers talking. It is likely this success that prompted Sony and Netflix decided to release the show on DVD — now, consumers who do not subscribe to Netflix will be able to purchase the show and be a part of the fad.
It is, after all, the binge watching experience that makes this show so popular. "We always did think about it as a 13-hour movie," Willimon says. "However people ended up watching it, we wanted to have the more cinematic feel both visually and narratively than what you might find in a typical TV show."
Typical is one thing House of Cards is not. It’s safe to say that many Netflix subscribers approached the show in the binge watching fashion, which goes against all regular TV programming conventions. "Generally, I think that the viewers tend to be the ones who determine the direction of things," Willimon says. "And they have determined that they want to be empowered by the choice of how they want to watch things. And those of us who make art and those of us who write about it have to respond to that."
So, Netflix decided to deliver what the viewers craved. "If people binge watch the show and have a great experience doing so, and it becomes a unique experience as compared to other new shows that have come out, fantastic," Willimon explains. "The most important thing to me is that they not only binge watch, but that they like what they saw. That it was worth the binging."
RELATED: 'House of Cards' A Hit on Netflix
Willimon adds, "I just want people to think that the experience is worth the 13 hours they put in regardless of how they put in those 13 hours."
So now, by putting this show on DVD, Sony and Netflix are opening up the cultural phenomenon this show has created to a wider audience to experience. "There is a little bit of a cultural moment here, because this is the first time that this has been done for a new series," Willimon says. "It’s been an evolution, and we’re just the next stage in it."
Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat.
[Photo Credit: Patrick Harbron]
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